The Kansas City Chiefs held a lead for most of Saturday night’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but in the fourth quarter, Kansas City’s depth thinned, and Tampa Bay pulled off a final score of 16-15.
What matters is what the individual performances and the numbers beneath them tell us about this roster heading into cutdown week. From PFF grades to snap counts to target data, here are 10 statistically driven observations from Saturday night in Tampa.
1. Jalen Royals Secured His Roster Spot
As a fifth-round pick from just a year ago, wide receiver Jalen Royals was not supposed to be fighting for his job heading into year two. But given how little he showed in 2025, that may have been the reality heading into Saturday.
He finally flashed the skills that got him drafted.
He was targeted six times and caught all six, showing off the yards-after-the-catch ability that made him an attractive pick out of Utah State in the first place. His 51 yards between quarterbacks Justin Fields and Garrett Nussmeier made him the Chiefs’ highest-graded receiver on the night, according to PFF.
Two strong preseason games do not guarantee a meaningful role in the regular season, but it does make the conversation around his roster spot a very different one than it was a week ago.
2. The Edge Rushers Answered the Bell
With Defensive end Ashton Gillotte’s injury timeline still unclear, Felix Anudike-Uzomah and R Mason Thomas have responded in back-to-back weeks in a way that should give the coaching staff some confidence.
Anudike-Uzomah was the story of the night on the defensive line, collecting four pressures and a sack in 16 pass rush snaps for a 26.7 win rate that led all Chiefs defensive linemen. It was the best we have seen from him in a Chiefs uniform.
Thomas did not light up the box score, but for the second straight week he was generating pressure as a situational speed rusher, collecting a hurry and a quarterback hit in 10 true pass sets.
For a team that has been searching for reliable pass rush depth behind George Karlaftis and Chris Jones for years, both of them stepping up simultaneously is about as encouraging a development as there was in Tampa.
3. The Right Tackle Picture Is Blurry
Neither Kahlil Benson nor Jaylon Moore had a good night as pass blockers. Benson graded out as the worst pass blocker on the field at 33.4 per PFF, allowing two pressures in 11 true pass sets, with one of those resulting in a strip sack. Moore was not much better at 40.7.
Where things get interesting is the snap counts. Moore played just 12 snaps, in line with the first-team protectors, while Benson played 35. That suggests Moore is the leader for the right-tackle job once Josh Simmons returns healthy on the left side, with Benson likely to make the roster but not start.
Benson’s story remains one of the best of this entire camp, and he is not going anywhere, but Saturday offered the clearest signal yet of how this shakes out. He is in line to be the Chiefs’ sixth offensive lineman, whether that be at guard or tackle.
4. The Tight End Depth Chart Is Taking Shape
Tight end Jared Wiley was targeted four times, caught two passes for 15 yards, and had a drop. The issue is not necessarily what he did, but what the Chiefs need from a third tight end, and what he is not providing. He looks smooth catching passes in open space, but that role is already filled by Travis Kelce and Noah Gray.
For the second straight week, second-year undrafted free agent Jake Briningstool outperformed him, collecting three catches for 28 or more yards and showing solid open-field blocking as well. He is not a road grader by any means, but he is performing better than Wiley at what Wiley’s strengths are.
Wiley’s roster spot will come down to how the Chiefs construct the rest of the 53. If they roster four running backs, or push toward seven wide receivers, four tight ends may be off the table. Right now, Briningstool appears to be the one making that decision difficult.
5. Kader Kohou May Be Back in the Driver’s Seat at Nickel
Cornerback Kader Kohou’s roster outlook had been somewhat of a mystery throughout training camp, making Saturday the first real positive sign. He received what amounted to starter treatment, playing just seven total snaps at the beginning of the game before exiting.
All seven of those snaps came in the slot. He was not targeted and recorded one tackle. The uncertainty around the nickel position has been real all summer, with Jadon Canady still learning the professional game, and Chris Roland-Wallace sliding to safety to cover for absences Saturday. Roland Wallace has been the reported starter for most of camp.
This does not confirm Kohou as the starting nickel, but it does suggest the Chiefs are thinking seriously about the 2026 free-agent signing as their answer at the position. For a player returning from a torn ACL, simply being out there and earning that kind of deployment is a positive.
6. Emari Demercado’s Role Is Clearer Than It Was a Week Ago
After barely seeing the field against the Rams, Emari Demercado’s 21 offensive snaps on Saturday told a much different story. More importantly, he entered the game earlier than he did in Week 1, which is the more significant detail. Demercado debuted immediately following starter Kenneth Walker.
He took five carries for 18 yards, with 12 of those coming after contact. At this point, keeping all four running backs seems like the most likely outcome. Demercado is the team’s best pass protector in the backfield, has a history of explosive plays in space, and can factor into the kick return rotation.
Saturday clarified what his role looks like. He is not quite the afterthought on this roster that we thought he might have been last week.
7. Harrison Butker Was Extraordinary, Then Shaky
The first half told one story. Butker went 7-for-7 to start the preseason, capping it with a 69-yard field goal to end the second quarter that drew the kind of reaction you rarely see for a kick in an exhibition game. At 31 years old, his leg strength is clearly not going anywhere.
Then the second half happened. He missed an extra point that would have changed the complexion of the final score, and then missed a 43-yard field goal with just over three minutes to go that would have given Kansas City the lead.
The missed extra points were the one blemish on an otherwise outstanding 2025 season, and both of Saturday’s misses fell into that same category of fixable mistakes. The talent and the range are clearly still there. Cleaning up the consistency is the only remaining question, and there is no reason to believe he cannot do it.
8. Marcus Harris Is Emerging as a Nose Tackle Answer
Defensive tackle Marcus Harris is a name worth knowing heading into cutdown week. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman has yet to make his NFL debut after getting drafted by the Houston Texans in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He has spent his entire career on practice squads and offseason camps.
On Saturday, he received what amounted to starter or role-player treatment, exiting after 22 snaps and finishing as the Chiefs’ fourth-highest-graded defender after registering two pressures.
With Omarr Norman-Lott still on the PUP list and his status for the start of the season uncertain, Harris appears to be tracking toward the backup nose tackle role to open 2026. Two pressures in 22 snaps is a solid return for a player many outside of Kansas City are just now learning about, and his roster spot looks increasingly secure.
9. Jaden Hicks and Xavier Nwankpa Made the Most of Their Opportunity
With safety Alohi Gilman ruled out pregame with a back injury and Chamarri Conner already sidelined with a knee, Hicks and Nwankpa drew the starts at safety.
The bigger takeaway may be Nwankpa’s deployment. For an undrafted free agent to draw a start in a preseason game, that speaks to where he stands in the pecking order. He was targeted once without allowing a catch and recorded two tackles in 26 snaps.
Hicks allowed a catch on his one target but made the splash play of the game, creating a strip sack on a blitz of Buccaneers backup Jake Browning. This marks two weeks in a row Hicks has flashed, which is music to Chiefs Kingdom’s ears after a promising rookie season two years ago.
Neither is a lock to have a significant role in the regular season, but both are clearly earning the coaching staff’s trust, and that counts for something heading into cutdown week.
10. Mansoor Delane Made His Debut, and Quarterbacks Noticed
The sixth overall pick finally took the field in a professional game Saturday night, and the most telling number from his debut was zero. Cornerbacks Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams each played 11 snaps and logged exactly seven coverage snaps apiece, and neither was targeted.
Williams did record a tackle. It could just be due to incompetence, but opposing quarterbacks staying away from a cornerback is about as clear a compliment as the position receives, and for a player who spent the entire summer working his way back from a shoulder injury, simply being on the field and commanding that kind of presence was a win.
The sample size is small, but for Chiefs Kingdom getting its first look at the highest draft pick this franchise has used in over a decade, Saturday was an encouraging start.